"What District Am I In?"

Lafayette City Council District 1 Is New In 2019

The last time Lafayette voted for its own City Council was in 1991. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then, but a lot more has changed in the past few months. Many residents are unsure of what district they live in and what they need to vote for. The above map is the one voted on on the December 8 ballot and can be found at he LafayetteLA.gov website.

As a resident of District 1, and a candidate for City Council, my priorities are:

Proper funding of Infrastructure

Beautification, business growth, and blight reduction, especially along I-10

Community development and engagement

Building a strong relationship with the public schools and post secondary schools

Lafayette, and government in general is a slow moving machine. Unless we make our programs run more efficiently, our city will continue to deplete. Development, infrastructure, blighted property, and the impact of our schools on our communities need to be addressed and the current processes reworked.

INFRASTRUCTURECurrently, with evaluations of our high need roadways, Lafayette city has approximately 50 million dollars worth of road work to be completed. We are on track to spend approximately 2.5 million this year on these roadways. We must assess the actual cost of road maintenance and fund it properly.

BLIGHT-DEVELOPMENT-BEAUTIFICATIONBlighted properties are not only eyesores, but a hazard to the community as it invites crime into neighborhoods. We must create faster processes for adjudicating property, working with LCG and homeowners to reduce the blight. reviving Lafayette's Redevelopment authority and utilizing leaders within the community, empowered with assets to solve the issues holistically is the direction we should be headed. Enforcing codes should be a priority.

Every entrance to Interstate 10 into Lafayette lies in District 1. This is a wonderful asset with potential for better signage and business growth along service roads, inviting in tourism to our amazing city.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENTMany neighborhoods in the city of Lafayette have lost the feel of community. Some neighborhood are stepping up and creating the communities they want to live in. Every area deserves this. The culture of Lafayette begins with family and community, and delivers compassion and a willingness to work together for the betterment of our city as a whole. Citizens of Lafayette must feel empowered and take ownership. We can create ease of access to information and resources that leaders need to make meaningful positive impacts in our city. Creating a tiered system of information using the resources within our faith based and non-profit agencies is a team that needs to be created.

OUR CITY AND OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMSAs I travel through our public school system, I can't help but see the varying degree of accessibility for students. The public school system is a direct reflection of the community it resides, and vice versa. Lafayette officials must work together on a master vision for what we want our city to be and how our schools fit into that. Beginning with partnerships with public transit, to students working in their communities, to workforce training, we are one Lafayette.​

What I have learned and what I can doOver the past several years I have gained understanding of complexities of our unique consolidated government. I made a promise to engage with Lafayette, and that engagement turned into service. I am holding weekly meetings with Lafayette government officials and community leaders to continue to learn the needs of Lafayette. I have become a leader who strives to fill the gaps while moving Lafayette forward. I plan to use my understanding and drive to make this new form of government what it has promised to be: effective, efficient, and just.

The new 5 member Lafayette City Council needs to be intentional about the future and growth of our City. The role of the council is to bring forth and vote on legislation and a budget to make government work for the people it represents. Every council member must be engaged and educated on the issues that face Lafayette. Our town is a unique treasure that needs to make the most of the opportunities it has and ensure our policies and programs run efficiently and for the betterment of Lafayette as a whole.

City District 1 Resources

Below are a list of schools, community centers, churches, and businesses in District 1. The way we grow and support our existing economy in Lafayette is by supporting our neighbors in business. If there is a resource not listed, please contact us.